How to Find My Dad: Everything You Need To Know

Lily Evans - June 28, 2024

dad holding child playing with toy plane

There aren’t many causes more noble than a search for your dad, and it’s a more common pursuit than most people think. According to the National Center for Fathering, more than 33% of children have an absent biological father. Unfortunately, this can have consequences on youth development, education, job prospects, and much more.

There are many reasons to search for your father and many reasons for a father not to be present. In some cases, fathers may have left willingly, but in other cases, a father might not know about a child in the first place. That said, you’ll never know the answer until you start to search for yourself.

Whether you need to reconnect with your dad or meet them for the first time, we’re here to help. Read on to learn more about how to find your dad.

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Five Ways to Find Your Dad

It used to be next to impossible to find your biological father. Now, there are plenty of tools you can use to help with your search. If you want to learn where your father is, you can use several tools, including DNA tests, private investigators, and public records search tools.

That said, some methods for finding your dad are better than others, and it’s our job to point you in the right direction. Learn about the five best ways to find your dad below.

1. People Search Tools

The best way to find your dad is to use our people search tool. It’s simple and easy to use, plus you only need their name, address, or phone number. Once you have a little bit of information, you can start your search by entering their information into our search tool. From there, your search ends, and ours begins.

Our people search tool combs through millions of public records databases to help you find current and accurate information about anyone you search for, including your dad. Data is available from every state, too, so you don’t have to worry about bouncing around to different databases or search tools.

What’s more, this whole process can take less than 10 minutes once you enter their information. With our tool, you can learn more about who your father is, how to contact them, and much more. Additionally, all searches are anonymous, so you don’t have to worry about your father being notified about your search if you don’t want to contact them.

People search tools can also protect you from people who claim to be your father as well. You can always verify someone’s identity with our people search tool, which can help you prevent sharing your location with the wrong person on social media or other platforms.

2. DNA Tests

A DNA test is a great way to search for your dad if you have nothing else to go on. If you don’t know their name, phone number, or address, you can’t go wrong with a DNA test to kick things off. These tests are available at a reasonable cost, and you can get your results within a few weeks.

For DNA tests to work, companies send you a DNA test kit. Then, you provide a sample of your DNA for the company to view. From there, most companies will send you some type of DNA match kit. Once you have your results, you can start to build your family tree, so you don’t have to stop with just finding your dad.

DNA tests are a great way to find your dad, but not the best way to connect with them. Once you know some information about your dad from the DNA test, we recommend using a people search tool to learn more about them. It can help you find their address, phone number, and additional contact information you may need to reach them.

3. Private Investigator

If you have the money, hiring a private investigator is a viable option. Sure, they may cost around $50 to $100 per hour, but they’re usually efficient and well worth the investment. Plus, when you work with a private investigator, you don’t have to worry about running the search yourself. This means that you can hand the money off to them and let them do the rest of the work for you.

Private investigators tend to have a lot of experience when it comes to finding people, so they’re a good place to turn to if you’re out of options. That said, we only recommend going the private investigator route if you’re out of other options due to the high cost.

For this reason, we recommend starting with a people search tool first. It’s cheaper, faster, and a great place to begin your search.

If you know who your father is and want to contact them, social media is a great resource. If you know their name, you can enter it into search tools that are built into social media platforms to see if their accounts appear. While some people use different usernames than their names, many people have their names as part of their social media profiles.

Some great social media platforms to start your search include Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X (formally Twitter). You can enter the information you have into the search tools these platforms offer to find your dad.

Another benefit of using social media is that it’s easy to interact with people on these platforms. You can request to follow them, send them a direct message, and much more. This makes it better than your average Google search.

Still, connecting with someone on social media can result in you losing that anonymity. Moreover, some people don’t have social media accounts, so if your dad is one of them, you won’t find them with this method.

5. State Adoption Records

When someone is adopted the state makes a record of that adoption and will include information about birth parents on the birth certificate. In some states, you can view this information once you turn 21. However, this doesn’t apply to all states, and some states have unique laws about how state adoption records are handled.

If you can access your records, it can help you identify your birth mother and birth father. For people who were adopted and live with their new family, you can always ask them for more information about your father or mother.

While adoption records can be helpful, you can’t always rely on them, and sometimes, you can’t even assess them. However, if you do get your hands on information about your father, you can run their name, address, or phone number through one of our search tools to find them.

Start Searching for Your Dad Today

Searching for your dad can be challenging and emotionally daunting. However, it doesn’t have to be, and using the right tools can make the process a breeze.

CheckPeople.com takes the pressure out of finding your dad and makes the process as simple as running a quick search on Google. If you’re ready to find your day, we’re ready to help you.